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Tennis players across Franklin are gearing up for the new interclub season.
The Counties Tennis Association interclub competition has seven grades, ranging from Grade One, which is their top grade and includes their top players who play every Friday night, to Grade Seven, which is their beginner’s grade made up of under-twelves who play on Friday afternoons.
Counties Tennis Association president Sharon Nelson said grade seven plays with slightly modified balls and rules to help them get into the game. Grade Two is played on Thursday nights, and grades four, five, and six are played on Saturdays.
Ideally, the association likes to have six teams. They hold a round robin before and after Christmas. This means that everybody plays everybody over the six weeks, then the top four have a semi-final and a final, she said.
Grade championships are also held. These are tournaments that are held within a competitor’s grade. For example, players in grade three enter grade three championships and compete against other grade three competitors in singles and doubles matches. This is a knockout tournament carried out across all grades.
Teams from across Franklin will take part, including Hunua, Bombay, Patumahoe, Waiuku, Pukekohe, Pukekohe East, and Papakura.
The interclub competition begins on October 30 at the Counties Tennis Association Tennis Centre at Rosa Birch Park in Pukekohe. Away games are shared 50/50 amongst all competing clubs.
